Nepali Emotions Transliteration: Words and Complete Statements
Use a complete statement when you want to tell someone how you feel. The examples let you say that you are happy, sad, or that you got angry. Treat single-word entries as vocabulary labels, not ready-made sentences. In particular, the angry entry refers to anger or temper, not a complete “I am angry” sentence.
Start with these expressions
| English | Transliteration | Native script |
|---|---|---|
| I am happy. | ma khushi chhu. | म खुशी छु। |
| I am sad. | ma dukhi chhu. | म दुखी छु। |
| I got angry. | malai ris uthyo. | मलाई रिस उठ्यो। |
| Angry | ris | रिस |
Words for emotions are not automatically sentences
The practical distinction is whether an entry identifies an emotion or tells someone about your own situation. The standalone angry entry is a vocabulary item. The dictionary describes its underlying word as “anger” or “temper,” with jealousy or envy as another recorded sense, so do not use that single entry as though it meant “I am angry.” [1]
The complete happy and sad examples explicitly describe the speaker’s state, while the angry example describes becoming angry. Learn those complete examples as whole units rather than attaching a standalone emotion word to an English-style subject.
A useful detail is that the dictionary distinguishes the first-person form meaning “I” from the form meaning “to me.” [3] That is a reason to avoid rebuilding the sentences by guesswork: a small form change can affect the sentence’s grammatical role. This guide therefore supports recognition and practice of these specific examples, not a general rule for forming every Nepali emotion sentence.
[1] Source: dsal.uchicago.edu.
[3] Source: dsal.uchicago.edu.
Try it
You want to tell a relative that you are happy. Which complete example should you use instead of the standalone emotion label?
Choose your answer before reading on.
Check your answer:
Use expression 1 in the table above.
Choose the example whose English meaning is “I am happy.” It presents the speaker’s feeling as a complete statement, whereas the standalone entry only identifies an emotion-related word and does not say who is feeling it.
Cover the English meanings and recall the three complete statements from memory. Then label each remaining entry as either a vocabulary item or something you can say directly.
Practise speaking with Bhol. Learn words and sentences written in English letters.
